UNIVERSAL DESCRIPTION

“Trafficking in Persons (human trafficking) is defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.”

(UN's Trafficking in Persons Protocol)

– Human Trafficking is the TRADE of HUMANS – People are Commodities / Products

VICTIMS

Victims are people that are trapped as commodities (products) in human trafficking – they are sold / rented out / used / exploited / abused / killed etc. They become someone’s property. Happens against their will.

Who can become victims?

Victims can be …

male or female;

from different cultures or backgrounds;

be any age;

from any demographic area;

rich or poor; etc.

Basically anyone can be a victim.

The following are more susceptible

Vulnerable & Desperate – those that are easy to target due to circumstances / personality / age

BUYERS

Buyers either buy/rent the services of a trafficked victim or they buy products made by/through human slaves.

Due to the high cost of producing any product, many make use of cheap labour to increase their profit margin. Consumers are not always aware that they are acquiring products that have been made through slaves. (e.g. Batteries / Chocolates / Coffee / Cell phones)

Consumers create the demand.

We have all been buyers!

Look for the FAIR TRADE logo on products - NO SLAVES were part of the production of the product!